Liam's Pre-K Christmas Program

This year's Christmas program at VFPNS was another adorable display of festive hats, spirited songs, and overall holiday spirit.  I was flying solo this time around as Dad was stuck at work; Miss Doreen opted to stay back with the little ones as she just couldn't choose between this and Emily's kindergarten program going on at the exact same time.  The benefit to being a party of one, however, is that you get to snag the last open seat in the front row!  Best seat in the house :)

Mrs. Klepacki, school director, kicking off the program.

Our little elf

Liam with his teacher, Mrs. Trumpler.  He adores her!

Liam's performance could best be described by a quote from the movie Elf...

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to singing loud for all to hear."  

See (and hear) for yourself :)

I was proud of my little Buddy, and afterwards, his teacher sent him a card thanking him for such an enthusiastic performance.  I can't believe it will be Joergen in next year's program!!

After the show was the school holiday party.  Liam's teacher from last year, Mrs. Tenney, gave him a big hug and told him that she had brought in two big trays of "Liam cookies"- frosted sugar cookies that she had made from scratch just so he'd have something safe to eat at the party!  Liam was over the moon.  He gave her a big hug back and couldn't stop thanking her for making him safe cookies!  

By the time we got through the line, though, there was nothing left on those safe cookie trays but crumbs and some sprinkles.  And... the trays of unsafe cookies had been left virtually untouched.  Liam's face just fell as he crumpled into my arms in tears, sobbing in disappointment.  My heart just broke for him.  Up until now, he had always been so resilient to this kind of thing, but who could blame him now for being upset?!

It was no one's fault... no one could have known to save one for Liam.  The cookies hadn't been labeled, and for maybe the first time ever, the safe alternative actually looked more fun and delicious than the regular stuff, so it was no wonder they were polished off so quickly.  But how could I explain this to Liam (or harder yet, make it better)??

I know, I know.  It's just a cookie!  And that's true for most kids.  But for a kid with food allergies, when party food can be so isolating, he feels so special (in a good way, for a change) when there is actually something safe for him to eat beyond just pretzels or fruit; even more so when that something is really festive and fun!

At 4 years old, he absolutely amazes us with his flexibility, patience, and understanding of food allergies... but in that particular moment... it was crappy and unfair and hard.

As we were getting in the car a little while later, Liam was looking through his backpack where some of his classmates had put holiday cards and gifts.  One of his friends had given him an adorable little tower of treats that included cookies, hot cocoa mix, and marshmallows- none of which was safe.  I stopped breathing for a moment - hasn't he had enough disappointment for one day?! - but my sweet and resilient son amazed me once again.  After looking at it for a moment, he said,

"Hey Mom, you could take this to work and give it to your coworkers!  Wouldn't that make them so happy?"

God is good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent Thanksgiving this year at Nana and Grandpa's house, where we enjoyed time with not only them but with GG, Uncle Tim and his family, Aunt Ellen and Uncle Jim, and cousin Shannon and Dillon, Gilbey, and Anneke, too!  It was a full, happy house with lots of kids, giggles, good food, and noise.

And so we spent the long weekend as follows:

Helping Nana in the kitchen (which in Kid Code really means eating whatever Nana is trying to prepare)...

Dancing in the living room...

Throwing leftover bread cubes to the birds (later, Liam asked me, "Mom, why is there stuffing in the backyard?!")...

Feeling grateful for Nana, who made lots of good food to eat...

Eating that good food that Nana made...

Spending quality time with family...

Including Lily...

And brothers-in-law...

Having "5 minutes of Mandatory Hugging" imposed after taking a game of "wrestle" a little too far...

Gilbey, Dillon, and Liam hugging it out

Celebrating sweet Genevieve's first Thanksgiving...

That face!

Enjoying great company and conversation while eating some more...

Hanging out with cousins...

A peaceful moment with Dillon, Liam, and Gilbey

... and watching Polar Express in 3-D!

We couldn't have asked for a better day!

On Black Friday, while the rest of the world was out shopping, Shannon, Tim, and I decided to get the kiddos out of the house and let them run around the York Agricultural and Industrial Museum.  I had been there before with Shannon when Dillon and Gilbey were just little guys, and it was fun to go back.  I loved seeing the kids run from display to display yelling, "Read this one!  What does it say?!" at each placard.  They were so interested in all of that old machinery!

Joergen, Liam, and Gilbey

Anneke, Joergen, Colin, Gilbey, and Liam peeking out of an old trolley car

Best buds Liam and Gilbey hanging by the tractors

Liam and Gilbey chatting it up old-school style at the telephone exhibit.  They couldn't believe that all phones used to be like this when I was a kid!

And what is this?  Yes, Joergen, that's what Mommy learned to type on in high school!

Liam earned a million dollars!  The kids loved learning to crack the giant safe and discovering their reward inside.

After heading home for some lunch and naps for the little ones, we snagged Grandpa and headed down to the Nixon Nature Center to check out the animal displays (which took great convincing on my part with Liam, who was totally upset at the idea of taxidermied animals); however, upon arrival, we discovered a sign on the door that they were closed for the holiday (and Liam must have gotten over his concerns, because then he was just upset that we couldn't go in!).  No matter; even though it was cold out there, we got the kids to at least run around outside for a while in an attempt to burn off at least a fraction of their pent-up energy.

Typical Joergen in a group shot...

Now what to do with two car loads of kids?!  We still had free admission to York museums for the day for purchasing tickets to the agricultural museum earlier that morning, so we decided to head to the only one left that was open... the York Historical Society.  There, we met Nana and had some fun exploring the exhibits - and in particular, the "Discovery Center for Children" which was really just a room with an old classroom setup and a bunch of turn-of-the-century gadgets, gizmos, and toys.  The kids had fun practicing their letters on slates while Gilbey and Nana served as teachers at the front of the room.

J, Liam, and and Anneke working hard

Although it took us a while to figure out, we got a kick out of the old-time 3-D picture viewer.  Just try prying that thing out of Joergen's hands, I dare you!

It was a busy day of exploring and a very fun weekend overall.  So much to be thankful for!

A Magical Vacation

The week before Thanksgiving, we took an amazing family vacation to Disney World.  We had been planning this for almost a year (although if you ask Daddy, he would say he's been planning it since our last trip in 2008 before I was even pregnant with Liam) and were so happy that Grandma was able to come with us.  We had so much to celebrate on this trip: Liam and Joergen's first Disney experience, our 10th Anniversary, and Grandma's retirement.  And celebrate we did!

In all honesty, I have no idea how to blog about this experience.  Our week-long vacation and 5 days in the parks were so full of both big adventures and little moments, all of which are precious to me as I look back on our time together.

We took hundreds of photos (which, if you really want to, you can check out here and here), and I could easily do a post for every day we were there.

Instead, and in no particular order, I will share my top 10 favorite memories from the trip.

#1: The Characters
We met so many of our favorite characters that week!

Liam and Joergen's very first encounter was with Pluto at Hollywood Studios.  We spotted him walking with his handlers from out of nowhere and followed him to his meet-and-greet spot where we were first in line.  The boys looked at him with such awe!

You know, kind of like this:

Joergen spotting Mickey

And this.

Liam asking Pluto for his autograph

And then there was this.

Hugs and kisses for their pal Pluto

I loved watching them both interact with characters for very different reasons.  For Liam, it was his thousand-watt smile and the way he would always find something to say to make the character swoon. 

With Joergen, it was the way he approached each character with wonder and curiosity, carefully touching their whiskers, paws, eyes, and gently stroking their fur.  

Those interactions alone made the trip worth it a hundred times over.

#2: Going Around the World at Epcot

The park we were most concerned about visiting with the boys actually turned out to be everyone's favorite!  We were worried that they might be bored with the World Showcase, but that couldn't have been further from the truth.  We had a blast.  Even when it comes to theme parks, simpler really is better.

My favorite moment within the moment would have to be trying the sake in the Japan showcase...

Not even the pouring rain could put a damper on our fun that day!

#3: Finding Fun in Unexpected Places
For example, what Liam and I did while waiting for the gates to open at Hollywood Studios:

And this of the boys one morning, goofing around in the bedding at the hotel:

Which is closely related to...

#4: Finding Magic in Unexpected Places
Like this trashcan!

It moved and talked.  What the...?!

Moving trashcans are hilarious!

#5: Late-Night at Hollywood Studios
One night after dinner, we took Liam back to the parks for some "bigger-kid" adventures: watching Fantasmic!, riding Tower of Terror (which I still can't believe he did!), and visiting the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights.  I loved watching him chase snowflakes and wonder at the amazing, well, spectacle of those millions of lights.  This picture with Liam that night just might be my most favorite ever taken.

#6: Our 10th Anniversary Dinner

To celebrate our special milestone, Anthony somehow scored us reservations at the Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's in Disney's Grand Floridian Resort.

It was life-changing.

Want proof?  On the menu was lamb.  Anthony hates lamb.  But perhaps not anymore?

Hands down...

Best

     Meal

           Ever.

#7: Downtime at Our Hotel

We spent the week off-property at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek, where we snagged a 2-bedroom timeshare condo with a full kitchen so we could make our own meals and have some room to relax (without paying Disney property prices).  And with their lazy rivers, water slides, pool-side bars, and beautiful lagoon, it was a destination in itself.

Liam and I floating down the lazy river

  

Joergen enjoying the pool

The view from our floor (that's Epcot in the distance)

Liam learned to swim on this trip- we were so proud of him!

Our cabana rental on our "day off" from the parks.

Homemade grilled pizzas by the lagoon

Dad having fun on the water slide

A sweet moment with Joergen and Dad

#8: Spending Time with Grandma

We were so grateful to have Grandma with us on this trip!  For Dad especially, walking through the gates of Magic Kingdom and heading down Main Street USA with her and their many shared memories from the past was beyond words.

Some of our other favorite moments with Grandma that week:

Cheers!

Dinner at Bongos in Downtown Disney

Riding It's A Small World

The "Jingle" Cruise

Liam and Grandma in the pool

Ogling the construction at the Polynesian Resort from the boat to Magic Kingdom

I don't think we could have done this trip without her!!

#9: Sleeping.

No, that is not a typo :)  There is a very special, serious kind of sleep that follows the excitement and magic of a day at Disney World...

#10: This.

Sometimes, the best moments are those that have nothing to do with time or place... they just are.